Devices and methods for interacting with an hvac controller

ABSTRACT

An HVAC controller may be controlled in response to a natural language audio message that is not recognizable by the HVAC controller as a command, where the natural language audio message is translated into a command recognizable by the HVAC controller. Voice recognition software identifies a trigger phrase included in the natural language audio message and in response the HVAC controller performs an action. The voice recognition software may be used to create a natural language text based message from a recorded voice message or streamed voice message, where the natural language text based message is translated into the command recognizable by the HVAC controller. In response to the command, the HVAC controller may perform an action and/or respond with a natural language text based or audio message. A user may communicate with the thermostat via the thermostat and/or a remote device.

This application claims the benefit of U.S. Provisional Application Ser.No. 61/868,441, filed Aug. 21, 2013, entitled “Devices and Methods forInteracting with an HVAC Controller”, which is incorporated herein byreference.

TECHNICAL FIELD

The present disclosure relates generally to HVAC systems or buildingautomation systems, and more particularly to HVAC controllers thataccommodate and/or facilitate control of an HVAC system.

BACKGROUND

Heating, ventilation, and/or air conditioning (HVAC) systems are oftenused to control the comfort level within a building or other structure.Such HVAC systems typically include an HVAC controller that controlsvarious HVAC components of the HVAC system in order to affect and/orcontrol one or more environmental conditions within the building. SuchHVAC controllers typically have a user interface for allowing a user tointeract with the HVAC controller. The user interface is often integralwith the HVAC controller housing, but in some instances, can be remotefrom the HVAC controller but in direct or indirect communicationtherewith, such as when using a user interface of a smart phone, tabletcomputer, personal computer, laptop etc.

SUMMARY

The present disclosure pertains generally to HVAC systems or buildingautomation systems, and more particularly to controllers such asthermostats that accommodate and/or facilitate control of an HVAC systemvia voice control. In one illustrative embodiment, a thermostat may becontrolled in accordance with a voice control system. The thermostat mayinclude a housing configured to at least partially house a temperaturesensor, a microphone, and a controller, among other components. Thecontroller of the thermostat may be configured to identify a triggerphrase included in a voice message received by the microphone of thethermostat. In response to identifying the trigger phrase, thecontroller may perform an action.

In an illustrative method of operating and/or controlling a thermostatvia a voice control mode, the thermostat may receive a voice messagefrom a user and identify the voice message as including a triggerphrase. In response to identifying the voice message as including atrigger phrase, the thermostat may initiate the voice control mode andprovide an audible indication that the voice control mode has beeninitiated.

In some instances, a method of operating and/or controlling a thermostatvia a voice control system may include receiving a voice stream at thethermostat from a user and identifying a voice command in the voicestream. In an illustrative instance, the voice command may specify aparameter value without units. The method may further includetranslating the identified voice command into a thermostat command thatincludes the parameter value and units, where the thermostat command isin a format that is understandable by the thermostat. The thermostatcommand associated with the identified voice command may then beexecuted.

The preceding summary is provided to facilitate an understanding of someof the innovative features unique to the present disclosure and is notintended to be a full description. A full appreciation of the disclosurecan be gained by taking the entire specification, claims, drawings, andabstract as a whole.

BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS

The disclosure may be more completely understood in consideration of thefollowing description of various illustrative embodiments in connectionwith the accompanying drawings, in which:

FIG. 1 is a schematic view of an illustrative HVAC system servicing abuilding or structure;

FIG. 2 is a schematic block diagram of an illustrative HVAC controller;

FIG. 3 is a schematic view of an illustrative thermostat interfacenetwork structure;

FIG. 4 is an interaction diagram showing illustrative interactionsbetween a user, a thermostat, and the cloud;

FIG. 5 is a schematic flow diagram of an illustrative process of using avoice control system;

FIG. 6 is a schematic screen view of an illustrative screen of athermostat;

FIG. 7 is a schematic screen view of an illustrative screen of athermostat;

FIG. 8 is a schematic screen view of an illustrative screen of athermostat;

FIG. 9 is a schematic flow diagram showing an elevated help feature;

FIG. 10 is an interaction diagram showing illustrative interactionsbetween a user, a thermostat and the cloud during the first attempt ofFIG. 9;

FIG. 11 is an interaction diagram showing illustrative interactionsbetween a user, a thermostat and the cloud during the second attempt ofFIG. 9;

FIG. 12 is an interaction diagram showing illustrative interactionsbetween a user, a thermostat and the cloud during the third attempt ofFIG. 9;

FIG. 13 is a schematic screen view of an illustrative screen of athermostat;

FIG. 14 is a schematic screen view of an illustrative screen of athermostat;

FIG. 15 is a schematic screen view of an illustrative screen of athermostat;

FIG. 16 is a schematic screen view of an illustrative screen of athermostat;

FIG. 17 is a schematic screen view of an illustrative screen of athermostat;

FIG. 18 is a schematic screen view of an illustrative screen of athermostat;

FIG. 19 is a schematic screen view of an illustrative screen of athermostat;

FIG. 20 is a schematic screen view of an illustrative screen of athermostat;

FIG. 21 is a schematic screen view of an illustrative screen of athermostat;

FIG. 22 is a schematic screen view of an illustrative screen of athermostat;

FIG. 23 is an exploded perspective view of an illustrative thermostatthat includes one or more microphones and one or more speakers;

FIG. 24 a is an exploded front perspective view of an illustrativethermostat that includes one or more microphones and one or morespeakers; and

FIG. 24 b is an exploded back perspective view of an illustrativethermostat that includes one or more microphones and one or morespeakers.

While the disclosure is amenable to various modifications andalternative forms, specifics thereof have been shown by way of examplein the drawings and will be described in detail. It should beunderstood, however, that the intention is not to limit aspects of thedisclosure to the particular illustrative embodiments described. On thecontrary, the intention is to cover all modifications, equivalents, andalternatives falling within the spirit and scope of the disclosure.

DESCRIPTION

The following description should be read with reference to the drawingswherein like reference numerals indicate like elements throughout theseveral views. The description and drawings show several embodimentswhich are meant to illustrative in nature.

FIG. 1 is a schematic view of a building 2 having an illustrativebuilding automation system 4. While FIG. 1 shows a typical forced airtype HVAC system as an illustrative building automation sub-system 12 ofa building automation system 4, other building automation sub-systems 12of a building automation system 4 are contemplated including, but notlimited to, security systems, lighting control systems, water heatersystems (e.g., boiler systems), refrigerators, clothes washers, clothesdryer, ovens, garage doors, radiant heating systems, electric heatingsystems, cooling systems, heat pump systems, any other suitablesub-system 12 of building automation systems 4, and/or portions thereof,as desired. In some cases, building automation systems 4 may include aninternet gateway 20 (e.g., a modem or other device facilitating acommunication link) or other device that may allow one or more of theHVAC components 6, as described herein, to communicate over a wide areanetwork (WAN) such as, for example, the Internet, and/or a device 20that may allow one or more HVAC components 6 to communicate over anyother network.

The illustrative HVAC system of FIG. 1 includes one or more HVACcomponents 6, a system of ductwork and air vents including a supply airduct 10 and a return air duct 14, and one or more building automationcontrollers 18 (e.g., HVAC controllers). The one or more HVAC components6 may include, but are not limited to, a furnace, a heat pump, anelectric heat pump, a geothermal heat pump, an electric heating unit, anair conditioning unit, a humidifier, a dehumidifier, an air exchanger,an air cleaner, a damper, a valve, and/or the like.

It is contemplated that a building automation controller(s) 18 may beconfigured to activate, deactivate and/or otherwise modulate thebuilding automation sub-system(s) 12 thereof (e.g., HVAC components 6)in a controlled manner (e.g., to control the comfort level in thestructure or building 2 and/or otherwise operate electronic features ofthe building 2). The building automation controller(s) 18 may beconfigured to control the building automation controller devices orbuilding automation sub-systems 12 via a wired and/or wirelesscommunication link 20.

In some cases, the building automation controller(s) 18 may be athermostat, such as, for example, a wall mountable thermostat orintelligent power switch (e.g., power switch for controlling appliancesnot equipped with communications capabilities and other appliances), butthis is not required in all instances. An example thermostat may include(e.g. within the thermostat housing), or have access to, a temperaturesensor for sensing an ambient temperature at or near the thermostat. Insome instances, the building automation controller(s) 18 may be a zonecontroller (e.g., which may or may not be embodied in a thermostat), ormay include multiple zone controllers each monitoring and/or controllingthe comfort level within a particular zone in the building or otherstructure.

In the illustrative building automation system 4 shown in FIG. 1, theHVAC component(s) 6 may provide heated air and/or cooled air via theductwork 10, 14 throughout the building 2. As illustrated, the HVACcomponent(s) 6 may be in fluid communication with every room and/or zonein the building 2 via the ductwork 10 and 14, but this is not required.In operation, when a heat call or command signal is provided by thebuilding automation controller(s) 18, an HVAC component 6 (e.g., aforced warm air furnace) may be activated to supply heated air to one ormore rooms and/or zones within the building 2 via supply air ducts 10.The heated air may be forced through the supply air duct 10 by a bloweror fan 21. In this example, the cooler air from each zone may bereturned to the HVAC component 6 for heating via return air ducts 14.Similarly, when a cool call or command signal is provided by thebuilding automation controller(s) 18, an HVAC component 6 (e.g. airconditioning unit) may be activated to supply cooled air to one or morerooms and/or zones within the building or other structure via supply airducts 10. The cooled air may be forced through the supply air duct 10 bythe blower or fan 21. In this example, the warmer air from each zone maybe returned to the HVAC component 6 (e.g. air conditioning unit) forcooling via return air ducts 14.

In some cases, the system of vents or ductwork 10 and/or 14 may includeone or more dampers 24 to regulate the flow of air, but this is notrequired. For example, one or more dampers 24 may be coupled to one ormore HVAC controller(s) 18, and can be coordinated with the operation ofone or more HVAC components 6. The one or more HVAC controller(s) 18 mayactuate dampers 24 to an opened position, a closed position, and/or apartially opened position to modulate the flow of air from one or moreHVAC components 6 to an appropriate room and/or zone in the building orother structure. The dampers 24 may be particularly useful in zoned HVACsystems, and may be used to control which zone(s) receives conditionedair from the HVAC component(s) 6.

In many instances, one or more air filters 30 may be used to remove dustand/or other pollutants from the air inside the building 2. In theillustrative example shown in FIG. 1, the air filter(s) 30 are installedin the return air duct 14, and may filter the air prior to the airentering the HVAC component 6, but it is contemplated that any othersuitable location for the air filter(s) 30 may be used. The presence ofthe air filter(s) 30 may not only improve the indoor air quality, butmay also protect the HVAC components 6 from dust and other particulatematter that would otherwise be permitted to enter the HVAC component 6.

Depending upon the application and/or where the building automationsystem user is located, remote access and/or control of the buildingautomation controller 18 may be provided, at least partially, over afirst network (e.g. a local WiFi network) and/or a second network (e.g.a wide area network such as the Internet), as shown in FIG. 3. In someinstances, the first network and/or the second network may collectivelybe considered a network. A non-limiting example of a network connectedbuilding automation system is described in U.S. patent application Ser.No. 13/559,470, entitled METHOD OF ASSOCIATING AN HVAC CONTROLLER WITHAN EXTERNAL WEB SERVICE, filed Jul. 26, 2012, and hereby incorporated byreference in its entirety. Another non-limiting example of a networkconnected building automation system is described in U.S. patentapplication Ser. No. 13/875,213, entitled DEVICES AND METHODS FORINTERFACING WITH AN HVAC CONTROLLER, filed May 1, 2013, and herebyincorporated by reference in its entirety. Yet another non-limitingexample of a network connected building automation system is describedin U.S. application Ser. No. 13/911,638 entitled INTERACTING WITH ACONTROL SYSTEM THAT IS CONNECTED TO A NETWORK, filed on Jun. 6, 2013,which is hereby incorporated by reference in its entirety.

In some instances, a user may use the building automation controller 18(e.g., a thermostat 22) to adjust a parameter of the building automationsystem 4 or to initiate an action of the building automation system 4 ina hands-free and/or eyes-free manner. A user might not be able to, ormay not wish to, interact with a typical touch user interface of thethermostat 22 or of a device in communication with the thermostat 22(e.g. smart phone) for one or more reasons. For example, in some cases,a user may not physically interact with the user interface of thethermostat 22 because of what they are doing (e.g., hands are full ofitems as they are leaving home), where they are located (e.g., they arein a different room than the room where the thermostat 22 is located),inconvenience, disability, and/or because of any other reason.

In some cases, the thermostat 22 or other building automationcontrollers 18 may include a hands-free and/or an eyes-free userinterface 26 that utilizes voice control, sometimes with audibleconfirmations (e.g., two-way audible communication). As illustrated inFIG. 2, the thermostat 22 may include one or more embedded or connectedmicrophone(s) 28 and/or one or more embedded speakers or connectedspeakers 32, along with support circuitry 36 to allow the thermostat 22to receive, record, and/or playback sound. Further, the thermostat 22may include a controller 47 that includes a processor 40 and a memory 44to further facilitate receiving, recording, and/or playing back sound,along with facilitating other functionality of the thermostat 22.

The microphone(s) 28 and the speaker(s) 32, as shown for example in FIG.2, may be provided integrally with the thermostat 22 or otherwiseconnect to the thermostat 22 and may be in communication with thecircuitry 36 of the thermostat 22 to communicate with other features ofthe thermostat 22 (e.g., the memory 44, the processor 40, the firstcommunications port 50, the second communications port 52, and/or theuser interface). In some instances, the speaker(s) 32 and/or themicrophone(s) 28 may be integral with user interface 26 of thethermostat 22 and in some instances, the microphone(s) 28 and speaker(s)32 may be separate from the user interface 26 of the thermostat 22.

Illustratively, a plurality of microphones 28 may be provided integrallywith, or in communication with, the thermostat 22, where the pluralityof microphones 28 may be provided to increase the functionality and/orimprove the performance of the thermostat 22. For example, a pluralityof microphones positioned in or otherwise in communication with thethermostat 22 may allow for noise cancellation functionality at thethermostat 22 or in the cloud 56, echo cancellation functionality at thethermostat 22 or in the cloud 56, beam forming or spatial filteringfunctionality (e.g., the ability to determine from which direction avoice is coming and remove unwanted noise) at the thermostat 22 or inthe cloud 56, increase the area from which sound may be reliablyobtained (e.g., especially when the microphones face differentdirections), and/or increase the functionality and/or improve theperformance of the thermostat 22 in any other suitable way.

In some cases, the thermostat 22 may include a timer, sometimesimplemented by circuitry 36 and/or processor 40. The thermostat 22 mayalso include an input/output block (I/O block) 54 for receiving one ormore signals from components of the building automation system 4 and/orfor providing one or more control signals to components of the buildingautomation system 4. Alternatively, or in addition, the I/O block 54 maycommunicate with another controller, which may be in communication withone or more HVAC components of the building automation system 4, such asa zone control panel in a zoned HVAC system, Equipment Interface Moduletypically located remote from the thermostat 22 and/or by or near one ormore building system components, or any other building control device.

The illustrative thermostat 22 may include an internal temperaturesensor 60, but this is not required. In some cases, the thermostat 22may communicate with one or more remote temperature sensors, humiditysensors, microphone/audio sensors, speakers, displays, and/or occupancysensors located throughout the building or structure. Also, thethermostat 22 may communicate with a temperature sensor, humiditysensor, and/or other sensor located outside of the building or structurefor sensing an outdoor temperature and/or humidity if desired.

The processor 40 of controller 47 may operate in accordance with analgorithm that controls or at least partially controls the operation ofthermostat 22. The processor 40 may, for example, operate in accordancewith a control algorithm that controls one or more building components,and may set or control temperature set points, humidity set points,schedules, start and end times, window frost protection, operatingmodes, and/or the like. At least a portion of the control algorithm maybe stored locally in the memory 44 of the thermostat 22 and, in somecases, may be updated and/or programmed from an external web serviceover one or more of the first network and the second network. Thecontrol algorithm (or portion thereof) stored locally in the memory 44of the building automation controller 18 may be updated in accordancewith a predetermined schedule (e.g. once every 24 hours, 48 hours, 72hours, weekly, monthly, etc.), updated in response to published changesto the control algorithm, updated in response to a user's request,and/or updated at any other time, as desired. The updates to the controlalgorithm or a portion of the control algorithm stored in the memory 44may be received from an external web service over one or more of thefirst network and the second network. In some cases, the portion of thecontrol algorithm that is updated may include settings such as setpoints, schedule times, and/or other settings, but this is not required.

In some instances, the processor 40 may operate according to a firstoperating mode having a first temperature set point, a second operatingmode having a second temperature set point, a third operating modehaving a third temperature set point, and/or the like, where thetemperature set points may be different values or the same value. Insome cases, the first operating mode may correspond to an occupied modeand the second operating mode may correspond to an unoccupied mode. Insome cases, the third operating mode may correspond to a holiday orvacation mode wherein the building or structure in which the buildingautomation system 4 is located is expected to be unoccupied for anextended period of time. In other cases, the third operating mode maycorrespond to a sleep mode wherein the building occupants are expectedto be either asleep or inactive for a period of time. These are justsome examples. It will be understood that the processor 40 may becapable of operating in additional or fewer modes, as necessary ordesired.

The number of operating modes and/or the operating parameter settingsassociated with each of the operating modes may be established locallythrough a user interface, and/or through an external web service anddelivered to the thermostat 22 via one or more of the first network andthe second network where they may be stored in the memory 44 forreference by the processor 40.

In some cases, the processor 40 may operate according to one or morepredetermined operating parameter settings associated with a userprofile associated with a particular individual user. The user profilemay be stored in the memory 44 of the building automation controller 18and/or may be hosted by an external web service and stored on anexternal web server 58. The user profile may include one or moreuser-selected settings for one or more operating modes that may bedesignated by the user. For example, the processor 40 may operateaccording to a first operating mode having a first temperature set pointassociated with a first user profile, a second operating mode having asecond temperature set point associated with the first user profile, athird operating mode having a third temperature set point associatedwith the first user profile, and/or the like, where the temperature setpoints may be the same value or different values. In some cases,multiple user profiles may be associated with the thermostat 22. Incertain cases, where two or more user profiles are associated with thethermostat 22, the processor 40 may be programmed to include a set ofrules for determining which individual user profile takes precedence forcontrolling the HVAC system when both user profiles are active.

The memory 44 of the thermostat 22 may be in communication with theprocessor 40, as shown for example in FIG. 2 (e.g., through thecircuitry 36). The memory 44 may be used to store any desiredinformation, such as the aforementioned control algorithm parameters,recorded voice messages, etc. The memory 44 may be any suitable type ofstorage device including, but not limited to, RAM, ROM, EPROM, flashmemory, a hard drive, and/or the like. In some cases, the processor 40may store information within the memory 44, and may subsequentlyretrieve the stored information from the memory 44. In some cases, thememory 44 may be part of the processor 40.

In the illustrative example shown in FIG. 2, the user interface 26, whenprovided, may be any suitable user interface that permits the thermostat22 to provide and/or solicit information, as well as to accept one ormore user interactions. For example, the user interface 26 may permit auser to locally enter data such as temperature set points, humidity setpoints, starting times, ending times, schedule times, diagnostic limits,responses to alerts, and/or the like. In some instances, the userinterface 26 may be a physical user interface that is accessible at thethermostat 22, and may include a display 48, a microphone 28, a speaker32, and/or a distinct keypad. The display may be any suitable display.In some instances, a display may include or may be a liquid crystaldisplay (LCD), and in some cases a fixed segment display or a dot matrixLCD display. In other cases, the user interface 26 may be a touch screenLCD panel that functions as both a display and keypad. The touch screenLCD panel may be adapted to solicit values for a number of operatingparameters and/or to receive such values, but this is not required. Insimilar or other cases, the user interface 26 may be a dynamic graphicaluser interface. Alternatively, the user interface may be a voice onlyinterface without a display and/or without non-voice input capabilities.

In some instances, the user interface 26 need not only be accessible toa user at the thermostat 22. Additionally, or alternatively, the userinterface 26 may be a virtual user interface 26 that is accessible viathe first network and/or second network using a mobile wireless deviceor other device such as one of the remote devices described herein.

In some cases, the user interface 26 may include a hands-free, eyes-freeuser interface accessible through the microphone 28 and sometimesspeaker 32 with optional feedback on the display 48. For example, theprocessor 40 may be configured to receive and accept user input enteredvia an audio stream received via the microphone 28 (e.g., throughinteraction with one or more voice recognition engines), and may includeuser input related to temperature set points, humidity set points,starting times, ending times, schedule times, window frost protectionsettings, diagnostic limits, responses to alerts and/or any othersuitable user input.

The present disclosure provides a mechanism where voice messages (e.g.,contained in audio streams) recorded on a non-transitory computerreadable medium (e.g., the memory 44) and/or streamed may be used as themessaging system between a user and an Internet connected thermostat 22.These voice messages, which may include voice commands, may be received,for example, from a user at the thermostat 22 and/or from a user via aremote device in the vicinity of the user issuing the voice commands. Inone example, the thermostat 22 may be accessed and/or controlled throughvoice control (e.g., in a hands-free and/or eye-free manner) at thethermostat 22 with the microphone(s) 28 and the speaker(s) 32, and/oraccessed and/or controlled from a remote location (e.g., remote from thethermostat 22) over the first network and/or second network with anysuitable remote device 25 that has a microphone including, but notlimited to, mobile phones including smart phones, PDAs, tabletcomputers, laptop or personal computers, wireless network-enabled keyfobs, e-Readers and the like.

When a remote device 25 is used for accessing and/or controlling thethermostat 22 through voice control, it is contemplated that anapplication program may be downloaded and run on the remote device 25.The application program may facilitate the recording and/or processingof voice commands from a user.

As shown in FIG. 2, the illustrative thermostat 22 (e.g., buildingautomation controller 18) may include a first communication port 50 forcommunicating over a first network (e.g. a first wireless network, afirst wired network, a wireless LAN, a wired LAN, WAN, the internet,etc.), a second communication port 52 for communicating over a secondnetwork (e.g. a second wireless network, a second wired network, awireless LAN, a wired LAN, a WAN or the Internet), and/or one or moreother communication ports. In one example, the first communication port50 may be a wired or wireless communications port, and may include atransceiver for sending and/or receiving signals in a wired or wirelessmanner over a first network (e.g., wired and/or wireless network). Thesecond communication port 52 may be a wired or wireless communicationport including a transceiver for sending and/or receiving signals in awired or wireless manner over a second network (e.g., a second wired orwireless network). In some cases, the second communication port 52 maybe in communication with a wired or wireless router or gateway forconnecting to the second network, but this is not required. In somecases, the router or gateway may be integral to the thermostat 22 or maybe provided as a separate device.

In many cases, the thermostat 22 may be configured to communicatewirelessly over the first network and/or second network (e.g., tocommunicate with a remote device 25 and/or the cloud 56) via one or morewireless communication protocols including, but not limited to, cellularcommunication, ZigBee, REDLINK™, Bluetooth, WiFi, IrDA, dedicated shortrange communication (DSRC), EnOcean, and/or any other suitable common orproprietary wireless protocol, as desired. In some instances, thethermostat 22 may utilize an open or proprietary protocol to communicatewith other devices (e.g., a web server 58 with data cache) and/or remotedevices (e.g., mobile devices, voice reception boxes, etc.).

In order to expand the communication capabilities to include, voice,touch, mouse, keyboard, or other interfaces from remote locations,infrastructure in addition to typical remote devices 25, the open orproprietary protocol, and/or the thermostat 22 may optionally beincluded in the networked infrastructure. Such additional infrastructuremay include, for example, infrastructure of a cloud 56 (e.g., theInternet) and/or a web server 58 in the cloud, as shown in FIG. 3.

The cloud or cloud infrastructure 56 (also known as, cloud computing)may include computing resources (e.g., hardware and/or software) capableof delivering a service over a network and capable of maintaining orstoring a data cache. The data cache stored in the cloud infrastructure56 may store information about the thermostat 22. For example, the datacache may store a current status and/or settings of the thermostat 22,the model number, type and/or other information about thermostat 22and/or the user.

In some cases, the thermostat 22 may be programmed to communicate overthe first network and/or the second network with an external web orcloud service hosted by one or more external web servers 58 in the cloud56. A non-limiting example of such an external web service isHoneywell's TOTAL CONNECT™ web service. Illustratively, the thermostat22 may be configured to upload selected data via the second network tothe external web service where it may be collected and stored on theexternal web server 58. In some cases, the data may be indicative of theperformance of the building automation system 4, building controlsettings, and/or recorded voice commands to be interpreted by a voicerecognition engine 46 of the external web service into commandsunderstandable to the thermostat 22. Additionally, the thermostat 22 maybe configured to receive and/or download selected data, settings, and/orservices including software updates from the external web service overthe first network and/or the second network, and/or commands that areunderstandable to the thermostat 22. The data, settings, and/or servicesmay be received automatically from the web service, downloadedperiodically in accordance with a programmed algorithm, downloaded inresponse to a user request, and/or received in any other suitable way.

In the non-limiting example shown in FIG. 2, the thermostat 22 may beconfigured to receive and/or download from the cloud 56 or other sourcean HVAC operating schedule and/or operating parameter settings such as,for example, temperature set points, humidity set points, start times,end times, window frost protection settings, and/or the like. In someinstances, the thermostat 22 may be configured to receive one or moreuser profiles having at least one operational parameter setting that isselected by and reflective of a user's preferences. In some instances,the thermostat 22 may be configured to receive local weather data, radardata, weather alerts and/or warnings, major stock index ticker data,and/or news headlines over the second network. These are just someexamples.

In some instances, the external web server 58 may receive and accept theuser input entered via the microphone 28, and associate the user inputwith a user's account on the external web service and/or on thethermostat 22. In some cases, if the user input includes changes toparameters associated with the existing control algorithm, includingchanges to any temperature set points, humidity set points, schedule,start and end times, window frost protection settings, operating modes,user profile changes, or any other suitable parameter, the external webserver 58 may identify the corresponding parameter, as applicable, andtransmit the updated parameter value to the thermostat 22 over the firstnetwork and/or second network, where it is received via the firstcommunication port 50 and/or second communication port 52 of thethermostat 22 and stored in the memory 44 for execution by the processor40.

When voice messages or recordings are used to command the thermostat 22,it is contemplated that any suitable voice recognition software (e.g.,VLINGO™, DRAGON™, etc.) may be used. Illustratively, the processor 40 ofthermostat 22 may be configured to implement a limited voice recognitionengine that is not intended to recognize all or most of the words in adictionary, but may be configured to identify limited words and phrasessuch as a trigger phrase included in a voice message and in some cases alimited command set. Such a configured processor 40 may allow thethermostat 22 to be controlled via voice control with fairly limitedresources.

At least a portion of a voice recognition engine 46 may be includedwithin the thermostat 22. In FIG. 3, the voice recognition engine 46 isshown internal to a casing of the thermostat 22 with a display 48,microphone(s) 28, speaker(s) 32, and a control module 47 that mayprovide one or more control signals to control one or more HVACcomponents 6 of the building automation sub-system 12 (e.g., an HVACsystem). The control module 47 may include the memory 44 and processor40 of FIG. 2, and the memory 44 may include instructions executable bythe processor 40 to operate/communicate with the voice recognitionengine 46. In addition, or alternatively, the thermostat 22 may interactwith a voice recognition engine 46 (e.g., a voice recognition engine 46on a web server or other server) via a communication link 42 (e.g., awired or wireless communication link) and/or an internet gateway 20, asalso shown in FIG. 3. In some cases, the voice recognition engine 46 onthe thermostat 22 and the voice recognition engine 46 provided by a webserver 58, when both are provided, may cooperate to act like a singlevoice recognition engine 46 through communication over one of thecommunication ports 50, 52, or may act like separate voice recognitionengines 46 in communication with one another over one or more of thecommunication ports 50, 52.

In some instances, the voice recognition engine 46 (e.g., includingvoice recognition software such as voice-to-text software and/ortext-to-voice software) and translation software may be at leastpartially stored in the memory 44 of the thermostat 22, such that thethermostat 22 may directly receive, identify, and translate a voicemessage (e.g., an audio or voice stream) into a thermostat 22understandable command. Command phrase voice messages in a voice streamreceived by the thermostat 22 may be in a natural language format (e.g.,a format not typically understood by a thermostat 22 as a command), suchas a trigger phrase of “Hello Thermostat”, a command of “IncreaseTemperature by 3 Degrees”, or user intention commands in a naturallanguage format such as “I am feeling cold”.

In one example of a thermostat responding to a natural language voicemessage, a user may issue one or more natural language voice messages tothe thermostat 22 via the microphone 28 when the user is in the vicinityof the thermostat 22. The thermostat 22 may receive the natural languagevoice message, translate the voice message to a command understandableby the thermostat 22. perform an action in response to the command,and/or respond to the received voice message with one or more of anatural language text based message, an audible natural language messageas interpreted with text-to-voice voice recognition software, and/or apredetermined video message. Further, if the thermostat 22 communicateswith or has one or more remote sensors, the voice recognition andtranslation software may additionally, or alternatively, be stored andoperated in those sensors. For example, some thermostats 22 may haveremote temperature sensors and/or remote control devices that may beplaced in different rooms in the house, and the voice recognitionengine(s) 46 may be at least partially embedded in one or all of thesesensors and/or remote control devices.

Although a thermostat 22 may need to know it is to set a parameter at anexact value, such as the parameter value itself and parameter units(e.g., where the parameter is temperature, the parameter units may bedegree F. (Fahrenheit) or degree C. (Celsius)), the thermostat 22 mayalways be selectively set to operate in a particular parameter unit. Asa result, it can be expected that when a user 62 says a command relatedto a parameter (e.g., temperature), the user 62 is indicating that theparameter to be set is a parameter value consistent with the units bywhich the thermostat 22 is currently operating. The parameter units forone or more particular parameters (e.g., temperature, humidity, etc.)may be preprogrammed into the thermostat 22 at a manufacturer orselectively set by a user. Additionally, or alternatively, thethermostat 22 and/or the voice recognition engine 46 may apply differentparameter units to different voice commands or when different usersprovide voice commands, where the thermostat 22 and/or voice recognitionengine 46 may infer from the context of a voice command the appropriateparameter unit to apply to the voice command with or without a parameterunit actually recited in the voice stream that includes the voicecommand.

In operation, the thermostat 22 may exchange its parameter units withthe voice recognition engine 46 via internal messaging, such that thevoice recognition engine 46 will then be synchronized with thethermostat 22 as far as parameter units are concerned. Then, once a user62 speaks a natural language voice command, the voice recognition engine46 will be able to compose audio feedback with the right parameterunits, translate the identified voice command without units to athermostat command that includes a parameter value and parameter units,and/or update the thermostat's set point temperature without requiringthe user to say the units in a command. This has the ability to decreasethe data flow and improves internet connection requirements, whilereducing the number words the user 62 is required to say to modify atemperature set point.

When the voice recognition engine 46 of a controller 47 of thethermostat 22 identifies a trigger phrase in a received natural languagevoice stream, the voice recognition engine 46 may initiate processing ofthe natural language voice stream. During processing of the naturallanguage voice stream, the voice recognition engine 46 may identify oneof a plurality of different commands following the identified triggerphrase. In response to identifying one of a plurality of predeterminedcommands following the trigger phrase, the voice recognition engine 46may generate a thermostat command that is understandable by thecontroller and instructs the controller 47 to perform and/or execute theparticular identified command.

Illustratively, one or more of the identification of a trigger phrase,the identification of one or more of a plurality of predeterminedcommands, and the generation of a thermostat understandable command maybe performed by the thermostat 22 (e.g., via the voice recognitionengine 46 and/or other components of the thermostat 22). Alternatively,or in addition, one or more of the identification of a trigger phrase,identification of one or more of a plurality of predetermined commands,and the generation of a thermostat understandable command may beperformed by the remote server 58 (e.g., via the voice recognitionengine 46 and/or other feature of the remote server 58).

To facilitate processing and/or interpreting a natural language voicestream, the voice recognition engine(s) 46 may include a naturallanguage interpreter (e.g., the translation software or speechrecognition module) that translates the received natural language voicestream into text via a voice to a text voice recognition engine. Thenatural language interpreter may then compare the text to a predefinedtrigger phrase, and if a match is found, the natural languageinterpreter may look for a subsequent command in the text. The naturallanguage interpreter may compare the text following an identifiedtrigger phrase to a plurality of predefined commands. If a match isfound and a command is identified, and depending on the identifiedcommand, the natural language interpreter may look for one or moreparameters following the identified command. For example, if a naturallanguage voice stream includes “Thermostat, please change thetemperature to 74 degrees”. The word “Thermostat” may be the triggerphrase, the word “change” may be the command, and 74 may be the“parameter” for the “change” command. The natural language interpretermay scan the text and identify “Thermostat” as the trigger phrase. Thenatural language interpreter may then scan the text following the word“Thermostat” for a valid predetermined command. When the naturallanguage interpreter finds the command “change”, the natural languageinterpreter may then begin looking for a numerical parameter for the“change” command. In this case, the natural language interpreter finds“74”. The voice recognition engine 46 may then translate this into acommand that is recognizable and executable by the controller 47 of thethermostat 22, such as “SP=74 F”. The controller 47 of the thermostat 22may then execute the command and change the set point to 74 degrees F.

In some instances, the controller 47 of the thermostat 22 may initiateprocessing of the natural language voice stream by sending at least partof the natural language voice stream (e.g., the natural language streamfollowing a detected trigger phrase) to the remote server 58 via anoutput port of one of the communication ports 50, 52. In response tosending at least part of the natural language voice stream to the remoteserver 58, the thermostat 22 may receive via an input port of one of thecommunication ports 50, 52 a thermostat command corresponding to theportion of the natural language voice stream sent to the remote server58.

In an illustrative example of utilizing a remote server 58 that includesat least a portion of the voice recognition engine 46 (e.g., a speechrecognition module), the remote server may be configured to process thereceived portion of the natural language voice stream and then identifyin the natural language voice stream one of a plurality of differentpredetermined commands for the thermostat 22. Once a command isidentified by the remote server 58, the remote server 58 may generate athermostat command and send the thermostat command back to the inputport of one of the communication ports 50, 52 of the thermostat 22 forexecution by the controller 47 of the thermostat 22.

In addition to or as an alternative to receiving a thermostat commandfrom the remote server 58, the thermostat 22 may receive a naturallanguage voice message (e.g., an audio clip), a video clip, or otheraudio/visual clip from the remotely located portion of the voicerecognition engine 46 via the input port of one of the communicationports 50, 52. The thermostat 22 may play a received natural langue voicemessage through the speakers 32 of the thermostat 22 and/or play thevisual or video on the display 48 of the thermostat 22.

Illustratively, the thermostat understandable commands may change thestate of the thermostat 22 (e.g., change the set point, enter atemporary or permanent hold mode, switch the system mode to off, heat orcool mode, turn on the fan, etc.), read the current state of thethermostat 22 (e.g., requesting a current temperature, a currenthumidity level, the remaining filter life, etc.), program a programmablesetting (e.g. a programmable schedule setting), display certaininformation on the display of the thermostat, such as weatherinformation, stock information and or any other information, and/or mayperform any other suitable function, as desired. In some instances, thetranslation software may be executed on the thermostat 22, while in someother instances, the translation software may be executed on devicesseparate or independent from the thermostat 22, such as at a remoteserver 58, a remote device 25, and/or on any other suitable device. Insome cases, part of the translation software may be executed by thethermostat 22 or remote device 25 (e.g. translation of the voice messageto text) while another part of the translation software may be executedon a remote server 58 (e.g. interpret the intent behind the message, andtranslate the message into a command specific to the thermostat 22 thatcan be understood and executed by the thermostat 22), but these are justexamples.

In some cases, when the thermostat 22 receives a thermostatunderstandable command, the thermostat 22 may not automatically acceptthe command, but may rather check the command against its settings(e.g., thermostat code). For example, the thermostat 22 may receive athermostat understandable command related to a temperature set point(e.g., a command to change a set point temperature to a requested setpoint value, or any other command related to a temperature set point),the thermostat 22 may check the requested set point temperature againstpre-set limits and accept the change only when the thermostatunderstandable command requests a change within the pre-set limits. Ifthe command requests a change within the pre-set limits of thethermostat 22, a generated thermostat understandable command mayinstruct the controller 47 to change the set point temperature to theset point value and the thermostat 22 may in some cases audibly reportover the speakers 32 the new set point value (e.g., the new temperatureset point) resulting from an action taken by the thermostat 22 inresponse to the acceptable command. If the requested set point value isoutside of a pre-set limit, a generated thermostat understandablecommand may instruct the controller 47 to change the set pointtemperature to a set point value that is within the limits, and in somecases the thermostat 22 may provide an audible response (e.g., verbalresponse or some other audible response) over the speakers 32 indicatingthe command was not executed, why the command was not executed (e.g., itwas requested to set a temperature set point at a value outside ofpre-set temperature set point limits), and/or the new, if new, set pointvalue. Such an audible response may aid a user 62 in not having to walkto the thermostat 22 to check for possible issues with the thermostat22. In some instances, the audible responses may facilitate aninterview-like exchange with the user 62 by working with the user 62 tochange pre-set limits of the thermostat 22 and/or to find an acceptabletemperature set point or other action within the pre-set limits of thethermostat 22.

In some cases, a command may be associated with a macro that changes anumber of parameters and/or settings in response to the command. Forexample, a voice command of “Good Night Thermostat” may be translatedinto a series of two or more commands that are each recognizable by thethermostat 22, such as a command that reduces the temperature set pointto a sleep set point temperature, followed by a command that puts thefan into the circulate fan mode, followed by a command that turns theoutside lights of the house off, followed by a command that turns thesecurity system on.

In some cases, the number and type of commands that can be recognizedand translated into commands may be intentionally limited. In addition,or alternatively, the format of the commands that can be recognized andtranslated into commands may be intentionally limited. This may make iteasier for the translation software to recognize and translate thereceived voice commands into appropriate actions to be taken by thethermostat 22. This may help increase the accuracy and/or reliability ofthe voice command system and improve the response time, especially whenthe hardware resources are limited such as in some thermostats 22.

When formulating a command that is to be understandable by thethermostat 22, the voice recognition software and/or translationsoftware of voice recognition engine 46 may take into account one ormore parameters (e.g., a current set point temperature) stored in thedata cache in the cloud infrastructure 56. For example, where a naturallanguage message received from a user indicates “I am cold”, the voicerecognition engine 46 may check the data cache for the current set pointtemperature of the thermostat 22 (e.g., seventy-two degrees) and providea command to the thermostat 22 that sets the set point temperature atseventy-four degrees (e.g. two degrees warmer than the current setpointtemperature). Once the natural language message from the user has beentranslated into a command understandable by the thermostat 22, thecommand may be sent to the thermostat 22 over a network having an openor proprietary protocol (e.g., an HVAC web services interface protocol,such as a web services application programming interface (API)), forexample. As the translation may require space in the memory 44 for itsstorage and processing power by the processor 40 for its operation,maintaining the translation software of the voice recognition engine 46in the cloud 56 or otherwise remote from the thermostat 22 (e.g., in aan area of a home or building separate from the particular location ofthe thermostat 22) may in some cases be useful in reducing the memoryand/or processing resources needed at the thermostat 22 itself. In somecases, the thermostat 22 may have sufficient memory and/or processingresources and all the processing can take place at the thermostat 22 ifdesired.

Although the voice recognition engine 46 has been primarily describedwith respect to a voice recognition engine 46 on the thermostat 22, thevoice recognition engine 46 or a portion of the voice recognition engine46 may reside on a server 58 in the cloud 56 or on a server otherwiseremote from the thermostat 22 (e.g., a server in the same building 2 asthe thermostat 22 or in a different building than the thermostat 22), asreferred to above. The functionality of the voice recognition engine 46may be the same or may differ depending on the location of the voicerecognition engine 46 with respect to thermostat 22. Factors that maydetermine functionality of the thermostat include, but are not limitedto, the ability of a processor operating the voice recognition engine46, the size of the memory associated with the voice recognition engine46, etc.

The voice control system of the thermostat 22 may be initiated by thevoice recognition engine 46 at the thermostat 22 after it recognizes aninput, such as selection of a button or selectable option on a userinterface 26, a trigger phrase, a command, or any combination of a userinterface 26 selection, a trigger phrase, and a command presentedtogether or separately. As used herein, a “trigger phrase” is a uniqueword, a unique set of words, and/or a unique sound, that lets thethermostat 22 know via the voice recognition engine 46 that the userwould like to give a command to the thermostat 22. Trigger phrases mayinclude, for example, “Hello, thermostat”, “Hi, thermostat”, etc. Insome cases, the trigger phrase may be programmable by the user. As usedherein, a “command” may, in one way or another, indicate what action(s)the user wants the thermostat 22 to perform.

In some instances, the voice recognition engine 46 of the thermostat 22may be able to recognize trigger phrases such as “Thermostat”, “Hello,thermostat” or “Hi, thermostat” in a voice stream, and take a specificaction in response to recognizing the trigger phrase. In one example, ifa user says “Thermostat Awake”, the trigger phrase “Thermostat” may berecognized as well as the subsequent command “Awake”. The command“Awake” does not have any associated parameters, and thus, thethermostat will not look for subsequent parameters. Instead, the “Awake”command will be translated into a command understandable by thethermostat so as to illuminate the display 48 of the thermostat 22. Inanother example, if a user says “Thermostat Show Outside Temperature”,the thermostat may show the outside temperature on the display 48 of thethermostat 22 (and illuminate the display if the thermostat 22 was insleep mode, which is an example of an action taken that may be requiredto perform the requested action). The thermostat 22 may also oralternatively speak the outside temperature. Other commands that causeother actions are contemplated. In some cases, the thermostat may have alearning mode, which may allow the user to associate a user definedvoice “command” with a particular action to be taken by the thermostat22.

In some cases, a user may define and/or the thermostat 22 (e.g., thevoice recognition engine 46 or other feature) may learn a trigger phraseor command. For example, when the thermostat 22 is in a learning mode orin a different mode, a user may say a phrase or perform an actionidentifiable by the thermostat 22 (e.g., pressing a button and/or takingone or more other actions). The thermostat 22 may record (e.g., recordat thermostat 22 or at a remote location) the phrase and/or actionidentifiable by the thermostat 22 and a user may associate one or moreactions to be taken by the thermostat 22 (e.g., an action to be takenmay be to place the thermostat 22 in a mode where it is waiting for acommand after a trigger phrase is recognized, or one or more otheractions) with the recorded phrase and/or action identifiable by thethermostat 22. There thermostat 22 may then automatically startperforming the action associated with the created trigger phrase orcommand when the trigger phrase or command is identified. Alternatively,or in addition, the thermostat 22 may send one or more recorded phrasesand/or recorded actions along with the associated action to be taken bythe thermostat 22 to a remote location for consideration and/or approvalby a third party.

In some instances, the thermostat 22 may associate phrases selected by auser from one or more of multiple trigger phrases or actionsidentifiable by the thermostat 22 that are supported by the thermostat22 (e.g., “Hello”, “Hello, Thermostat”, pressing of a physical button,etc.) with one or more actions to be taken by the thermostat 22therewith. Illustratively, a user could select one of multiple triggerphrases available on (e.g., supported by) the thermostat 22 andassociate, or have the thermostat 22 automatically associate, initiatingand/or activating voice control of the thermostat 22 such that voicecontrol is initiated awaiting a command when the selected trigger phraseis identified by the thermostat 22.

The thermostat 22 or other device may record trigger phrases and/orcommands spoken, but presently unsupported by the thermostat 22, andsave (e.g., at the thermostat 22 and/or at a location remote from thethermostat 22) these recorded trigger phrases and/or commands for futureanalysis. In some cases, analytics and/or other analysis may beperformed on the recorded trigger phrases and/or commands (e.g., audiofiles of these recorded trigger phrases and/or commands) and such ananalysis may be utilized to add to a number of trigger phrases and/orcommands supported by the thermostat 22 in response to perceived demandfor certain functionality at the thermostat 22.

Alternatively, or in addition to using trigger phrases, the thermostat22 itself may initiate voice control or initiate some other action inresponse to one or more different triggers. For example, a trigger thatmay initiate voice control of the thermostat 22 or some other action ofthe thermostat 22 may include, but is not limited to, a touch of abutton, an activation of a proximity sensor, gesture sensing (e.g., viagesture sensing such as that commercially available by LEAP MOTION™),detection of a pattern of user interactions (e.g. a user provides atemporary hold for three mornings in a row, the thermostat may ask theuser if the programmed schedule for the morning should be changed),and/or any other suitable trigger and/or action.

In instances when motion detectors and/or integrated infrared/opticalsensors are included with and/or connected to the thermostat 22 (e.g.integral to the thermostat 22 or in communication with the thermostat22), these detectors/sensors may sense a presence of one or more people,animals, and/or objects in a monitored area and/or measure surfacetemperatures and/or other conditions in the home via the infrared oroptical sensor, or other types of sensors. In one example, if on-wallsensors of the thermostat 22 were to detect a person is warm or cold,the thermostat 22 may ask the user 62 or a home resident if they wouldlike to make it warmer or cooler. In some instances, the thermostat 22may automatically audibly ask a user 62 if the temperature should beincreased or decreased due to one or more sensed temperatures of one ormore persons, animals, or objects in the monitored area, and a user 62may audibly respond with a command identifiable by the voice controlsystem of the thermostat 22. Alternatively, or in addition, thethermostat 22 may automatically adjust the set points of the thermostat22 in response to sensing a person, animal, or object is at atemperature level relative to a sensed ambient temperature (e.g., athreshold level) at which the thermostat 22 has been configured to makean adjustment. In some cases, the thermostat 22 may play a tone ordisplay a message indicating it is sensing that a set point temperatureshould be adjusted in response to detecting a temperature of one or morepersons, one or more animals (e.g., pets), and/or if one or more objectsin use or non-use (e.g., an oven, freezer, etc.).

In some instances, voice control of the thermostat 22 may need thethermostat 22 to be connected to the internet via a wired or wirelessconnection or communication link 42 to utilize the voice recognitionengine 46 in the cloud or for other purposes. When so provided, and insome cases, once the thermostat 22 or voice recognition engine 46 of thethermostat 22 identified a trigger phrase, the thermostat 22 mayestablish and/or check for an adequate connection to the internet 56(e.g., a server in the cloud). In some instances, the thermostat 22 mayneed to connect to a service provider's server in the cloud (e.g., a webservice such as Honeywell's TotalConnect™ server or another serviceprovider's server), but this is not required in all embodiments. Forexample, when a voice recognition engine 46 is provided in thethermostat 22 that is capable of understanding trigger phrases andcommands, the voice control of the thermostat 22 may not need to connectto the Internet 56 and/or a service provider's server in the cloud.

FIG. 4 is an interaction diagram showing illustrative interactionsbetween a user, a thermostat, and a server in the cloud. Initially, auser 62 may speak a trigger phrase 64 (e.g., “Hello Thermostat”), andthe local voice recognition engine 46 at the thermostat 22 may recognizethe trigger phrase 64 and respond to the user 62 with a request for acommand 66 (e.g., “Please say your command” or other request) or otheraudio clip or message over the speakers 32. In response, the user mayspeak his/her command 68 (e.g., “Warmer”, “I need help” or othercommand) and the thermostat 22 may record and/or stream 70 the voicemessage that includes the command 68 to a remote voice recognitionengine 46 in the cloud 56 (e.g. on a server in the cloud) forrecognition of the command.

In the example shown, the voice control system of thermostat 22 may stoprecording audio and/or streaming audio to the cloud after a certainthreshold has been met. For example, the thermostat 22 may stoprecording audio and/or streaming audio to the cloud 56 after the voicecontrol system in the cloud recognizes a command and notifies thethermostat 22 of the command, after a predetermined amount of time haselapsed since the voice control system of thermostat 22 startedrecording audio and/or streaming audio, after a predetermined amount ofsilence has elapsed, and/or after some other threshold has been met.

After receiving a recorded message and/or streamed message, the remotevoice recognition engine 46 in the cloud 56 may recognize the commandand change the command from a natural language audio format to a naturallanguage text-based format, and then translate the natural language textof the user's command 68 into a command understandable by the thermostat22. The voice recognition engine 46 of the cloud 56 may then transfer 72the command understandable by the thermostat to the thermostat 22. Inresponse to receiving the command from the cloud 56, the thermostat 22may take the action dictated by the command (e.g., increase a settemperature or decrease a set temperature) and send 74 thermostatunderstandable feedback text indicating the action taken by thethermostat 22 (e.g., indicating the thermostat 22 increased the setpoint temperature by two degrees to seventy-two) to the voicerecognition engine 46 in the cloud 56. The voice recognition engine 46in the cloud may then send 76 a message to the thermostat 22 telling thethermostat 22 to play an audible natural language message 78 (and/ordisplay a visual message on the display 48 of the thermostat 22)indicating the action taken by the thermostat 22. The thermostat 22 maythen play the audible natural language message 78 (e.g., “Temperatureset to seventy-two” or “Setting temperature to seventy-two”) and/ordisplay the text-based message on the display of the thermostat 22. Insome cases, the message 76 may be a voice message (e.g., a wave file,MP3 or other file) that can be directly played by the thermostat 22. Inother cases, the message 76 may be a text based message, and a text tovoice translator may be in the thermostat 22 that translates the textbased message to a voice message before playing the voice message to theuser. In some cases, if voice control of the thermostat 22 is alreadyinitiated at the time of speaking a command (e.g. via a previousrecognized trigger phrase), the trigger phrase may be omitted.

Prior to utilizing the voice control system of the thermostat 22, thevoice control system may need to be configured on the thermostat 22.This configuration may be performed by an installer of the thermostat22, a user of the thermostat 22, and/or may be set up at the time ofassembly prior to end-user use of the thermostat 22. In some instances,the thermostat 22 may automatically initiate voice control configurationupon initial use and/or the configuration may be initiated by a user. Tofacilitate a user configuring voice control of the thermostat 22 withoutthe need to review a user manual, the thermostat 22 may provide audioand/or visual help clips.

At any time during configuration and/or use of the voice control system,a user 62 may ask the voice control system for “help”, and the voicecontrol system may provide assistance. Illustratively, the voicerecognition engine 46 may locally detect a voice command indicating theuser needs help (e.g., “Help”, “Need help with voice commands”, etc.).In response to the locally recognized help command, the thermostat 22may play a pre-recorded clip giving the user hints and/or instructionson how to operate the thermostat 22 and/or the voice control system ofthe thermostat 22. For example, when the thermostat 22 is not connectedto the Internet and a user says a trigger phrase (e.g., “Hellothermostat”, etc.) and/or a voice command (e.g., “I need help”, etc.),such as “Hello thermostat, I need help”, “Hello thermostat, could youhelp me?”, “Hello thermostat, please advise”, “Hello thermostat, fullhelp”, etc., the thermostat may respond with a first recording stating:“To enable voice recognition, you have to connect the thermostat to aWifi network. Once you are done connecting, you can start operating thethermostat using voice commands”, and/or a recording stating: “First,say hello thermostat and a wait a second. When asked, say your command”.To list all possible commands, it is contemplated that a user may say:“Hello thermostat, list commands”. In another example, when thethermostat 22 is connected to the internet and a user states a triggerphrase and/or a command, such as “Hello thermostat, I need help”, “Hellothermostat, could you help me?”, “Hello thermostat, please advise”,etc., the thermostat 22 may play a recording that provides help, such as“First, say hello thermostat and a wait a second. When asked, say yourcommand” or any other suitable recording. In another example, when thethermostat 22 is connected to the internet and a user states a triggerphrase and/or a command, such as “Hello thermostat, list commands”,etc., the thermostat 22 may play a recording stating, for example: “Youcan say one of these voice commands: Warmer, Cooler, Set temperature toX degrees, What is the weather . . . ”. In another example, when thethermostat 22 is connected to the internet and the user 62 states atrigger phrase and/or a command, such as “Hello thermostat, full help”,the thermostat 22 may play these and/or other help clips. In yet anotherexample, when the thermostat 22 is connected to the internet and a user62 says a trigger phrase and/or a command “Hello thermostat, troubleshoot”, “Hello thermostat, solve issues”, etc., the thermostat 22 mayplay a recording such as: “Make sure your thermostat is connected to aWifi network. Speak slowly and clearly. Each command has to start with a‘Hello thermostat’ phrase—e.g., ‘hello thermostat, make it warmer’”.These are just some examples of help phrases commands a user 62 may useand some example recordings the thermostat may provide in response tothe users help command. If voice control of the thermostat 22 is alreadyinitiated at the time of speaking a command (e.g. via a previousrecognized trigger phrase), the trigger phrase may be omitted in someinstances.

In some instances, in addition to or as an alternative to being playedat user initiation, these recorded help hints and instructions may beplayed or displayed automatically when, for example, a feature isenabled on the thermostat 22 to let the user 62 know how to operate theenabled feature without having to search a user guide or other manualfor instructions. This is one example of context sensitive help. It iscontemplated that in some cases, the selection of a particular help clipto play may be based on the context of a particular user interaction.

In some instances, the thermostat 22 may be controlled with a voicecontrol system by following a process 100, such as the process shown inFIG. 5. In the illustrative process 100, to activate voice control ofthe thermostat 22, a user may speak a voice stream that includes a voicecontrol trigger phrase into the microphone 28 of the thermostat 22, asshown at 101, and the thermostat 22, using a voice control engine 46that may be constantly or occasionally listening for a trigger phrase,may identify the voice control trigger phrase as shown at 102 within thereceived voice stream. In some cases, the thermostat 22 may include avoice recognition engine 46 which may process audio data from themicrophone(s) 28 to identify the trigger phrase(s). In some cases, avoice message may be recorded by the thermostat 22 and sent to a voicerecognition engine 46 located in the cloud 56 or streamed from thethermostat 22 to the voice recognition engine 46 located in the cloud56, where the voice message may be remotely processed to identify thetrigger phrase(s).

When the thermostat 22 is turned on or operating in any manner, thethermostat 22 may always be listening for a trigger phrase, as referredto above. In other instances, once voice control is turned on in thethermostat 22, the thermostat 22 may always be listening for a triggerphrase. Alternatively, the thermostat 22 may be set to listen for atrigger phrase after a certain action (which may be an inaction), afterdetecting a gesture or other movement, after a certain amount of time,and/or after any other suitable condition, as desired. In some cases,the thermostat 22 may be listening for a trigger phrase when it is in asleep state and when it is in a wake state.

The trigger phrase identification sensitivity factor (e.g., anadjustable scale) of the voice control system of the thermostat 22 maybe adjusted to balance false positives (e.g., where a false positiveoccurs when the voice control system thinks a trigger phrase was heard,but no trigger phrase was actually spoken) against false negatives(e.g., where a false negative occurs when the voice control system doesnot recognize a trigger phrase when a trigger phrase was actuallyspoken) in order to improve the accuracy of trigger phrase recognition.In order for the voice control system to perform such balancing, it canbe beneficial for the voice control system to know when a false positiveoccurs and/or when a false negative occurs. In some instances, the voicecontrol system may have commands that when spoken by a user 62 indicateto the voice control system that a false positive has occurred (or afalse negative has occurred). Such commands (e.g., feedback) indicatingwhen false positives and/or false negatives occur may be verbal commands(e.g. in response to a false positive, the user says “never mind”), maybe an electrical command provided over a communications interface (e.g.,serial, Ethernet, etc.), may be provided by physical interaction withthe thermostat 22 (e.g. a button press), may be determined by context(e.g. in response to a false positive, no command follows), and/or maybe provided in any other suitable manner. In response to being told whenfalse positives occur (and/or when false negatives occur), the voicecontrol system may automatically determine or suggest when a rebalancingof trigger phrase sensitivity might improve the performance of thesystem, and may make those changes automatically or on command.

After the thermostat 22 processes audio data and recognizes a triggerphrase, the thermostat 22 may perform an action, such as establishingand/or testing its connection to the Internet (e.g., testing itsconnection to a server in the cloud), as shown at 104. If there is “Noconnection”, and the voice recognition engine 46 on the thermostat 22 isunable to process natural language commands (e.g., such as commandsunrecognizable by the thermostat 22) into commands understandable by thethermostat 22, the thermostat 22 may indicate it is unable to operatevia voice control and may default to a thermostat home screen 99 (e.g.,see FIG. 19) or other screen indicating voice control is unavailable(e.g., see FIG. 6). In instances where there is “No connection”, and thevoice recognition engine 46 on the thermostat 22 is configured toprocess natural language commands into commands understandable by thethermostat 22, the voice control of the thermostat 22 may continue. Insuch instances where the local voice recognition engine 46 of thethermostat 22 is capable of processing natural language commands intocommands understandable by the thermostat 22, the voice control systemmay be configured to use a remote voice recognition engine 46 when aninternet connection is present and configured to use the local voicerecognition engine 46 when there is no internet connection. In someinstances, when there is “No connection”, the local voice recognitionengine 46 may process natural language commands into commandsunderstandable by the thermostat 22, but at a reduced functionalityrelative to the remote voice recognition engine 46, until the connectionis restored. For example, the local voice recognition engine 46 may onlyprocess a subset of commands relative to the remote voice recognitionengine 46, such as simpler commands.

In addition to checking its connection to the Internet and/or the cloud56, the thermostat 22 may perform one or more other operations or takeone or more other actions in response to recognizing a trigger phrase.Other actions the thermostat 22 may take in response to identifying atrigger phrase may include, but are not limited to, initiating a voicecontrol mode, emitting an audible message through the speaker(s) 32 ofthe thermostat 22 (e.g., where the audible message includes anindication that the voice control mode has been initiated),transitioning the thermostat 22 from a sleep state to a wake state,initiating a voice control mode, attempting to identify a voice commandfollowing the identified trigger phrase, displaying a home screen on thedisplay 48 of the thermostat, performing one or more other actions,and/or performing any combination of the recited actions or one or moreother actions.

As discussed, when the thermostat 22 has entered a sleep mode (e.g., amode where the display 48 is powered down or is not illuminated), suchas after a period of non-use or in response to a command, the thermostat22 may awake from the sleep mode upon recognizing a trigger phrase(e.g., the thermostat may be set to always listen for a trigger phrase,even in a sleep or low power mode). Illuminating the display 48 of thethermostat 22 in response to recognizing a trigger phrase may allow auser to view the thermostat's actions taken when interacting with thethermostat 22, may allow a user to view the home screen or other defaultscreen from across a room, and/or facilitate a user's interaction withthe thermostat 22 (e.g. display that the thermostat 22 did or did notrecognize the trigger phrase and/or that it is or is not taking anaction in response to a voice command provided in the voice stream withthe trigger phrase or in a voice stream separate from one including thetrigger phrase).

Transitioning from a sleep state to a wake state may includetransitioning from a lower power state of a sleep state for thethermostat 22 to a higher power state of a wake state for the thermostat22. In one example, the display 48 of the thermostat 22 may include abacklight and/or other lighting system and the backlight and/or otherlighting system may be turned off or dimmed when the thermostat 22 is ina sleep. Then, when the thermostat 22 is in a wake state, the backlightor other lighting system may be turned on or dimmed less than when thethermostat 22 is in a sleep state, which may be an indication that avoice control mode has been activated by the thermostat 22. As a resultof entering the wake state, the thermostat 22 may be in a higher powerstate than when the thermostat 22 is in a sleep state and a lower powerstate. Additionally or alternatively, other power systems may be turnedon and/or powered up when the thermostat 22 switches from sleep state toa wake state, which may affect the power usage levels of the thermostat22. In some cases, the thermostat may be battery powered.

As shown at reference 106 in FIG. 5, if the thermostat 22 is unable toconnect to the Internet or a particular server connected to theInternet, the thermostat 22 may audibly speak through the speaker 32and/or visually display on the display 48 a message such as “Noconnection. I'm sorry. For some reason, I cannot connect to the cloud. Ihope I can help next time”, or any other suitable word, phrase, and/ornoise. An illustrative display 48 of the thermostat 22 displaying atext-based “no connection” message on the display is shown in FIG. 6.

If the thermostat 22 is able to connect to the Internet, the thermostat22 may audibly speak a command request through the speaker 32 and/orvisually display 108 on the display 48. The command request may be, forexample, “How can I help?”, “How can I help? Try saying . . . ‘Make itWarmer’ or ‘Make it Cooler’ or ‘Set temperature to degrees’”, or anyother suitable message. Illustrative displays 48 of the thermostat 22displaying text-based commands that request messages are shown in FIGS.7 and 8.

Once the thermostat 22 has indicated it is ready to accept a command byaudibly and/or visually requesting information as to how the thermostat22 may assist the user, a user may state a command word or phrase, asshown at 110 in FIG. 5. Alternatively, or in addition, the thermostat 22may recognize a voice command in a same voice stream with a triggerphrase and indicate it is processing the voice command.

When the thermostat 22 has requested a command from the user, thethermostat 22 may determine if it receives a translated command withinan allotted time (e.g., within 5 second of requesting information,within 10 seconds of requesting information, within 20 seconds ofrequesting information, within 30 second of requesting information,within 45 seconds of requesting information) as shown at 112. If a userfails to state a recognizable command phrase in a set amount of timeafter the thermostat 22 requests information, the thermostat maytime-out and the thermostat 22 may audibly speak and/or visually display114 a message indicating voice control is ending 71 (e.g., “Timed out”and/or “Goodbye”, see FIG. 20) and/or play a timed out tone.

If the user states a recognized command phrase within a specified amountof time, before some terminating threshold, at item 116 the thermostat22 may attempt to send the identified command phrase to the Internet(e.g., a server in the cloud 56 identified by an Internet Protocol (IP)address), as shown in FIG. 5. If the thermostat 22 is unable to send thecommand phrase to the particular destination connected to the Internet(e.g., a service provider's cloud service), the thermostat 22 mayaudibly speak and/or visually display 118 “Cloud connection failure”,“No connection”, or “I'm sorry. For some reason I cannot connect to thecloud. I hope I can help next time” or any other suitable phrase (seeFIG. 6). If the thermostat 22 successfully sends the command phrase tothe particular destination connected to the Internet (e.g., a serviceprovider's cloud service), the cloud service may attempt to process 120the command phrase in the cloud 56. In response to processing thecommand phrase in the cloud 56, the thermostat 22 may play an audibletone (e.g., a processing tone) and/or display “One Moment Please” (seeFIG. 15), “OK. Let me try that for you.” (see FIG. 21), “Ok. Let me trythat for you. The connection is slow. I'll keep trying” (see FIG. 22),or any other similar phrase as desired. In some cases, to indicate to auser that the command is being processed, the thermostat 22 may play atone or display 122 a processing message or icon for a set period oftime (e.g., 2 second, 4 seconds, 10 seconds). In some instances, thetone or message may be displayed for a set period of time regardless ofhow long it takes to process the command phrase, or, alternatively, thethermostat 22 may play the tone or display 122 a processing message forthe amount of time needed to process the command phrase.

In some instances the cloud service may not understand the commandprovided to it by the thermostat 22 and/or remote device 25, and maythen provide elevated help to the user, as discussed herein (see FIG.9). In response to the first time the cloud service is unable torecognize a command phrase, the thermostat 22 (or remote device 25) mayaudibly speak and/or display 124 “Unrecognizable command—1^(st) attempt”or “No Recognition” or “I'm sorry can you try again?” or any othersuitable phrase, and request a user to speak 110 a further or repeatedcommand phrase (see FIG. 10). In response to a second time in a row thatthe cloud service is unable to recognize a command phrase, thethermostat 22 (or remote device 25) may provide audible (and/or visual)feedback to the user 62 on how to state a command (e.g., “You can say .. . Warmer, Cooler”), and request that the user speak a further orrepeated command phrase 110 (see FIG. 11). In response to a third timein a row the cloud service is unable to recognize a command phrase, thethermostat 22 may audibly speak and/or display 126 “Unrecognizablecommand—b 3 ^(rd) attempt (final)” or “No Recognition” or “Voice controlterminated” or “Goodbye” or any other suitable phrase (see FIGS. 12 and20). Although three levels of attempting to present a processable orunderstandable command phrase is presented before the voice controlsystem terminates, any number of levels greater than or less than three(3) levels may occur before the thermostat 22 ends the voice controlprocess. In some cases, after the first, second and/or third attempt,the thermostat 22 (or remote device 25) may automatically display avisual help message, or provide an audio and/or video help message, toassist the user in properly providing a recognizable command.

Once a command phrase is received, recognized and processed, thethermostat 22 may audibly speak and/or visually display 130“Confirmation”, or may indicate the result of the command or the actiontaken by the thermostat 22 (“The Temperature Setting Has Been Increasedto 74 Degrees” or “New temperature is set” (see FIG. 16)), if desired.

In instances where the voice recognition engine 46 in the thermostat 22does not recognize or may not be able to interpret a spoken command asbeing a command, the thermostat 22 may speak and/or display “How can Ihelp? Try saying . . . ‘Make it Warmer’ or ‘Make it Cooler’ or ‘Settemperature [1 . . . 10] degrees warmer/cooler’” or any other suitablemessage. An illustrative display 48 of the thermostat 22 displaying atext-based message after a first failed recognition of a command isshown in FIG. 8 (where the display of FIG. 8 may be displayed initiallywhen requesting a command and/or after a first failure of identifying acommand).

In some instances, assistance from the thermostat 22 may be providedwhen the thermostat 22 recognizes, on its own, that a user needs help insaying a command, configuring the thermostat 22, and/or otherwiseoperating the thermostat 22. In some instances, the thermostat 22 (e.g.,the voice recognition engine 46) may recognize a predetermined audibletrigger via the microphone 28 as indicating a user needs help orassistance. For example, an audible trigger may include an audibletrigger phrase (e.g., a trigger phrase including the term “HELP” orother wording) and/or an audible trigger phrase followed by one or moreof a plurality of audible trigger commands. Alternatively or in additionto identifying an audible trigger, the thermostat 22 may sense that auser may need help assistance and/or assistance in view of one or moreactions (e.g., including inactions) by user when interacting with thethermostat 22. For example, the thermostat 22 may determine a user mayneed assistance or help when an audible trigger phrase is detected, butan audible command is not detected following the audible trigger phrase.In some cases, a user may manually interact with one or more buttons ofthe thermostat 22 (e.g., where buttons of the thermostat 22 may includeone or more touch areas on the display 48, one or more push buttons,and/or touch areas separate from the display 48) through which thethermostat 22 may identify that the user needs help and/or assistanceinteracting with the thermostat.

When the thermostat 22 recognizes a user needs assistance or help, thethermostat 22 may automatically provide assistance via a helpful visualmessage, a helpful audio message (e.g., an audio clip), a helpful videomessage (e.g., a video clip), and/or the like. Whether the thermostat 22recognizes an audible trigger or an action taken by a user, the voicerecognition engine 46 may provide the same and/or different visualclips, audio clips, and/or video clips in response to differentidentified audible triggers and/or actions by a user. In some instances,the thermostat 22 may play one or more helpful visual messages, audiomessages, and/or video messages in response to and corresponding to anactivation of a feature of the thermostat 22 that was previouslydisabled or deactivated (e.g., where the thermostat 22 may have one ormore disabled features at any given time that are capable of beingenabled and/or activated), and/or when turning on the thermostat 22(e.g., where the played one or more helpful visual messages, audiomessages, and/or video messages may correspond to assisting a user withinitial setup of the thermostat 22 or one or more features thereof).

In one example of the thermostat 22 assisting a user, the thermostat 22may identify a user having trouble interacting with the voice controlsystem, and may provide elevated levels of help depending on thecircumstances, as illustrated in FIGS. 9-12. In some instances, when thethermostat 22 recognizes that a user has failed to successfullycommunicate a command during a first attempt 80, the thermostat 22 mayprovide audio (and/or visual) feedback (e.g., “Please try again” or “I'msorry. Can you try again?”, such as shown in FIG. 13). If the thermostat22 recognizes that a user has failed to successfully communicate acommand during a second attempt 82, the thermostat 22 may provideaudible (and/or visual) feedback to the user 62 on how to state acommand (e.g., “You can say . . . Warmer, Cooler”). If the thermostat 22recognizes that a user has failed to successfully communicate a commandduring a second attempt 82, the thermostat 22 may provide audible(and/or visual) feedback to the user 62 that the voice control system isquitting and the problem will be noted (e.g., “Problem will berecorded”). Although FIG. 9 indicates each attempt at stating a commandbegins with a user 62 reciting a trigger phrase 64. However, in somecases, after a first attempt 80, it may not be necessary to state atrigger or trigger phrase 64 because voice control has already beeninitiated.

FIG. 10 shows a schematic flow diagram of interactions between the user62, the voice recognition engine 46 on the thermostat 22, and the voicerecognition engine 46 in the cloud 56 during a first attempt 80 ofstating a command. As discussed above, to initiate voice control of thethermostat 22, the user 62 may say a trigger phrase 64 and the voicerecognition engine 46 at the thermostat 22 may recognize the triggerphrase 64. In response to recognizing the trigger phrase (or othertrigger), the thermostat 22 may play an audible natural language message66 (e.g., “Please say your command”) and/or display a natural languagetext-based message 86 requesting the user 62 to say a command (e.g.,“Speak a Voice Command”), as shown in FIG. 14, along with an indicationthat the thermostat 22 is recording 88 and/or streaming audio, andsometimes a display of the current set point temperature 90. In someinstances, the command spoken by the user 62 may then be transferred(e.g., recorded and/or streamed) to the voice recognition engine 46 inthe cloud 56 or otherwise remote from the thermostat 22 for processingand recognition as a command. FIG. 15 shows an illustrative screen ofthe display 48 of the thermostat 22 displaying an indication that thevoice command is being processed 89 (e.g., “Processing Voice Command”)and a text-based message asking the user 62 to wait while the command isbeing processed 91 (e.g., “One Moment Please”). If the spoken commandfrom the user 62 is recognized, a message may be sent to the thermostat22 from the cloud 56 instructing the thermostat 22 to perform an actionin response to the command and to audibly play 78 and/or visuallydisplay an indication of the action taken by the thermostat 22. FIG. 16and FIG. 17 show illustrative screens of the display 48 of thethermostat 22 displaying indications that the voice command wasrecognized 92 (e.g., “Voice Command Recognized”, “Information Command”)and a message of the action taken 94 by the thermostat 22 (e.g., “Newtemperature is set”, “Playing Result Feedback), where FIG. 16 is ascreen in response to a temperature set point related command and FIG.17 is a screen in response to a non-temperature set point relatedcommand (e.g. information command).

If the command 68 from the user 62 is not recognized by the voicerecognition engine 46 in the cloud 56, the remote voice recognitionengine 46 may send a message to the thermostat 22 to audibly play and/orvisually display a message 69 indicating the command 68 was notunderstood, and to ask the user 62 to try speaking the command again.FIG. 13 shows an illustrative screen of the display 48 of the thermostat22 displaying a message 69 that indicates that the command 68 was notunderstood, and asking the user 62 to try speaking the command again(e.g., “I'm sorry. Can you try again?”). FIG. 18 depicts an alternativeillustrative screen of the display 48 of the thermostat 22 displaying amessage 96 that indicates that the command was not understood, whileproviding a text message with example commands 98 (e.g., “HelloThermostat, Make it Warmer/Cooler”, “Hello Thermostat, Make it MuchWarmer/Cooler”, and “Hello Thermostat, Make it [1-10] degreesWarmer/Cooler”).

FIG. 11 shows a schematic flow diagram of interactions between the user62, the voice recognition engine 46 on the thermostat 22, and the voicerecognition engine 46 in the cloud 56 during a second attempt 82 ofstating a command. If the command 68 from the user 62 is not recognizedby the voice recognition engine 46 in the cloud 56 during the firstattempt, the remote voice recognition engine 46 may send a message tothe thermostat 22 to audibly play and/or visually display a message 69that may provide additional help or assistance. For example, thethermostat 22 may provide audible (and/or visual) feedback to the user62 on how to state a command (e.g., “You can say . . . Warmer, Cooler”).

FIG. 12 shows a schematic flow diagram of interactions between the user62, the voice recognition engine 46 on the thermostat 22, and the voicerecognition engine 46 in the cloud 56 during a third attempt 84 ofstating a command. If the command 68 from the user 62 is not recognizedby the voice recognition engine 46 in the cloud 56 or remote from thethermostat 22 during the second attempt, the remote voice recognitionengine 46 may send a message to the thermostat 22 to audibly play and/orvisually display a message 69 that the thermostat is having difficultyunderstanding the command and that the problem is being recorded fortroubleshooting purposes.

Other levels of help are contemplated in response to the same and/orvarious issues with which a user may require assistance or help duringuse of the voice control system. In addition to the thermostat 22 beingable to recognize when a user needs assistance or help, and being ableto provide the needed help, help or assistance may be available to auser on demand by saying “Help” or by selecting a help icon or button onthe thermostat 22. The help provided by the thermostat may be offered atand/or on the thermostat 22 and/or on a remote device 25. For example,to help a user, the thermostat 22 may display a series of images showingsteps of a process, the thermostat 22 may speak the steps of the processand/or audibly interact with a user to determine a root cause of anissue. The thermostat 22 and/or remote device 25 may play videoexplaining a process, the thermostat 22, if connected to the internet,may bring a user to a website showing how to use a feature of thethermostat and/or service, and/or the thermostat 22 may provide help toa user in any other suitable way, as desired.

When help is initiated or at other times during the use of the voicecontrol system of the thermostat 22, the server 58 in the cloud 56 maygather data about user help queries while operating the thermostat 22.Statistical analysis may be performed on the gathered data to identifyareas of the voice control system that may be improved or changed toincrease the usability of a particular thermostat 22 or the usability ofthe voice control system in general. In this way, the voice controlsystem may be improved.

In some instances, the thermostat 22 may interact with a user 62 byasking questions of the user 62. For example, if the user 62 is to tellthe thermostat that the user 62 is going on vacation, the thermostat 22may reply with “Ok. Would you like to set a vacation mode?”. If the userresponds with “Yes”, the thermostat 22 may respond with “When are youleaving?”. If the user response with “This Friday”, the thermostat mayrespond with “When will you return?”. If the user responds with “NextTuesday”, the thermostat 22 may respond with “What temperature would youlike to set while you are on vacation?”. If the user responds with atemperature such as “68”, the thermostat may program a vacation mode ofthe thermostat using the information provided by the user. This is justone example. More generally, the voice control system of the thermostat22 may be capable of conversational interactions with the user to setvarious modes, settings and/or systems of the thermostat, as desired.

The thermostat 22 may be capable of auto learning a user'scomfortability with the voice control system. Illustratively, thethermostat 22 may automatically learn or identify a user's 62interaction and experience level with the voice control system (and/orthe thermostat 22) through the user's voice control systems interactionswith the thermostat 22. Various factors may be utilized to determine auser's experience level including, but not limited to, an amount ofsuccessful commands provided by a user in a row, an amount ofinteractions with the voice control system by the user, a number of daysin a row in which the user interacts with the voice control system, etc.In one example, at various points of a user's 62 experience journey, thethermostat 22 may recommend or suggest to the user 62 to move to a moreadvanced voice control mode (e.g., an expert mode) of operating thethermostat 22. The user may then acknowledge the recommendation orsuggestion and opt to move up a level, move down a level, or stay at thesame level. Generally, the thermostat 22 may automatically adjust theexperience level at which it interacts with the user 62 or it mayprovide the recommendation to move up or down an experience level basedon a sensed experience level of the user 62. In some instances, anauto-learning thermostat 22 may simplify voice interaction and voicecontrol by limiting the amount of voice control options provided to auser 62 when the user 62 is at a low experience level and by increasingthe amount of voice control options provided to the user 62 when theuser 62 is at a high experience level. Alternatively or in addition, thevoice control system of the thermostat 22 may provide more assistance orhelp to a user at a low experience level and less help or assistance toa user a high experience level.

The thermostat 22 may allow for the setting up of and use of userprofiles of authorized users of the thermostat 22. Users 62 may be ableto setup their own comfort profile on the thermostat 22 via the voicecontrol system and the thermostat 22 may be able to auto learn eachuser's 62 voice control system comforatbility level and store that voicecontrol system comfortability level in their user profile. In someexamples, a user's profile may include one or more of a user's 62preferred program mode, voice control system comfortability level,preferred temperature settings, preferred vacation settings, preferredhome and away settings, calendar, etc. Each profile may have the abilityto be password protected such that the voice control system may becapable of recognizing their password. In similar or other instances,the thermostat 22 may recognize a user's voice and/or may have one ormore other sensors (e.g., finger print sensor, eye/retina scanner,facial recognition scanner, etc) to recognize a user and set thethermostat 22 to the identified user's profile.

In some cases, the thermostat 22 and/or cloud service may train a useron how to use the voice control features. As users may be reluctant toread documentation provided in conjunction with the thermostat 22 on howto use the voice control system, and as it may be difficult toaccurately describe how to use the voice control system, the thermostat22 may provide audio and/or visual tutorials on how to use the voicecontrol system to operate the thermostat 22. The training and/or helpfeatures of the thermostat 22 may be available upon start up of thethermostat 22 and/or upon configuration of the voice control system(e.g., when the voice control system is toggled “on” or turned on in anyother manner). Additionally or alternatively, the training and/or helpfeatures of the thermostat 22 may be available upon request whileutilizing the voice control system by speaking “Help” or some otherphrase into the microphone 28 of the thermostat 22, or by selecting ahelp or other button from the user interface 26 of the thermostat 22, asdiscussed above. In some instances, context sensitive help informationmay be provided when the system recognizes that the user is havingtrouble, such as when the thermostat 22 is having trouble recognizingthe user's voice commands. The training system of the thermostat may bedesigned to provide audio and/or visual training/help at the thermostat22 (and/or remote device 25), sometimes without referring the user to awebsite remote from the thermostat 22 and/or without referring the userto a user manual for the thermostat 22.

The thermostat 22 may be able to walk a user 62 through a set of audioand/or video queues that teach or explain how to configure thethermostat 22 to control a specific HVAC system. Such a walk throughwith the voice control system may shorten and/or simplify a thermostat22 configuration process as opposed to the length of time and difficultyrequired by following on-screen menus for learning how to configure thethermostat 22 for a specific HVAC system. In one example, a user mightinitiate the voice control system by stating a trigger phrase (e.g.,“Hello, thermostat”, etc.) and stating a command (“how to configurethermostat for a humidifier”), in response the voice control system maystate “would you like to configure the thermostat to control ahumidifier?”. If the user responds with “yes”, thermostat 22 maycorrespond with the user 62 in a conversational manner while setting upthe thermostat 22 for the HVAC system (e.g., humidifier) based on theuser's 62 response to queries from the thermostat 22. Such a techniquemay eliminate or reduce the need to walk through menu after menusearching for the settings that are typically needed to configure thethermostat 22 and as a result, may reduce configuration time.

The voice control system discussed herein, unless otherwise expresslyindicated, may be operated from the voice recognition engine 46 on thethermostat 22, the voice recognition engine 46 on a remote server 58,both of the voice recognition engine 46 on the thermostat 22 and thevoice recognition engine 46 the remote server 58, or shared between thevoice recognition engine 46 on the thermostat 22 and the voicerecognition engine 46 on a remote server 58.

FIG. 23 is an exploded perspective view of an illustrative thermostat 22that may include a front cover 210 (e.g., a front window assembly), adisplay 212 (e.g., a liquid crystal display (LCD)), a spacer 214, aprinted wiring assembly 216, a back cover 218, one or more microphones28, and one or more speakers 32. In some instances, when included in thethermostat 22, the microphones 28 may be affixed to the printed wiringassembly 216 and may face the front cover 210, and the speakers 32 maybe affixed to the back cover 218 and may have electrical contacts 220that are, or are to be, in electrical communication with electricalcontacts 222 on the printed wiring assembly 216. These arrangements ofthe microphones 28 and the speaker 32 are not required and otherarrangements of the microphones 28 and speaker 32 may be utilized, asdesired.

An example thermostat 22 structure that may be used and/or combined withthe features of this disclosure is disclosed in U.S. Provisional PatentApplication Ser. No. 61/800,637, entitled ELECTRONIC DEVICE AND METHODS,filed on Mar. 15, 2013, which is hereby incorporated by reference in itsentirety.

As discussed, the microphones 28 may be positioned on the thermostat 22at any position, as desired. For example, a first microphone 28 a may bepositioned toward a bottom of the printed wiring assembly 216 and asecond microphone 28 b may be positioned toward the bottom of theprinted wiring assembly 216 and spaced from the first microphone 28 a,as shown in FIGS. 23 and 24A. In some instances, the microphones 28 maybe positioned on the printed wiring assembly 216 and/or in thethermostat 22 in a manner that increases the functionality and/orimproves the performance of the thermostat 22 and/or the microphones 28.For example, the microphones 28 a and 28 b may be separated from oneanother at the bottom of the printed wiring assembly 216 such that theymay be utilized to provide noise cancellation functionality at thethermostat 22 or in the cloud 56, echo cancellation functionality at thethermostat 22 or in the cloud 56, beam forming or spatial filteringfunctionality (e.g., the ability to determine from which direction avoice is coming and remove unwanted noise) at the thermostat 22 or inthe cloud 56, increase the area from which sound may be reliablyobtained, and/or increase the functionality and/or improve theperformance of the thermostat 22 and/or microphones 28 in any othersuitable way. Although other positions of the microphones 28 are notshown in the Figures, the microphones 28 may be positioned in otherorientations with respect to one another and/or the printed wiringassembly 216, including, but not limited to, facing differentdirections, facing each other, being positioned at different heightswhen the thermostat 22 is upright on a wall, etc.

As mentioned, the microphones 28 may be positioned on the printed wiringassembly 216 such that they face the front cover 210 when the thermostat22 is assembled. In some instances, the microphones 28 on the printedwiring assembly may align with pockets 224 of the front cover 210 facingthe printed wiring assembly 216. These pockets 224 may be configured toabut, or alternatively may be positioned adjacent to, the printed wiringassembly 216 to partially enclose or surround one or more microphones 28in each pocket 224. In one example, the pockets 224 may enclose and/orsurround a majority of the microphone 28 and may have an opening 226that aligns with an opening 228 of the back cover 218, where theopenings 226, 228 lead to an external and/or ambient environment. Theopenings 226, 228 and the pocket 224 may be configured to receive soundfrom around the thermostat 22 and funnel that sound to the microphones28.

FIG. 24A is an exploded front perspective view of the thermostat 22 withthe speaker 32 components exploded out of the back cover 218. In someinstances, the speaker 32 may be positioned in a speaker compartment 230of the back cover 218 such that the electrical contacts 220 (e.g.,spring contacts (as shown) or other contacts) of the speaker 32 mayalign with and contact electrical contacts 222 (shown in FIG. 24B) onthe printed wiring assembly 216 when the thermostat 22 is connectedand/or in operation. In some instances, a gasket 244 may be positionedbetween the speaker 32 and the speaker compartment 230 to ensure a tightfitting between the speaker 32 and the back cover 218. Illustratively,the speaker 32 may be affixed to the back cover 218 with an adhesive,friction fit, or with any other affixing or connecting mechanism. Insome instances, the speaker compartment 230 may form a channel 232extending from the speaker 32 to an opening 234 in the back cover 218through which sound from the speaker is heard. The channel 232 may bedefined by edges 236 that work to funnel the sound from the speaker 32to the speaker opening 234 in the back cover 218.

FIG. 24B is an exploded back perspective view of the thermostat 22 withthe speaker 32 components exploded out from the back cover 218. In somecases, the speaker 32 may be positioned about a compartment opening 238in the back cover 218, where the compartment opening 238 leads to aspeaker cavity 240 enclosed by a speaker cover 242. The enclosed speakercavity 240 may be provided for any purpose. For example, the speakercavity 240 may be provided to improve the sound quality from the speaker32 that travels through the channel 232 and out the speaker opening 234in the back cover 218

Having thus described several illustrative embodiments of the presentdisclosure, those of skill in the art will readily appreciate that yetother embodiments may be made and used within the scope of the claimshereto attached. Numerous advantages of the disclosure covered by thisdocument have been set forth in the foregoing description. It will beunderstood, however, that this disclosure is, in many respect, onlyillustrative. Changes may be made in details, particularly in matters ofshape, size, and arrangement of parts without exceeding the scope of thedisclosure. The disclosure's scope is, of course, defined in thelanguage in which the appended claims are expressed.

What is claimed is:
 1. A thermostat configured to control one or moreHVAC components of an HVAC system, the thermostat comprising: a housing,the housing configured to house: a temperature sensor; a microphone; acontroller; wherein the controller is configured to identify a triggerphrase included in a voice message received by the microphone of thethermostat, and in response, perform an action.
 2. The thermostat ofclaim 1, wherein the action performed by the controller in response toidentifying the trigger phrase includes transitioning the thermostatfrom a sleep state to a wake state.
 3. The thermostat of claim 2,further comprising a display, wherein the display is in a lower powerstate in the sleep state and a higher power state in the wake state. 4.The thermostat of claim 3, wherein the display includes a backlight, andwherein the backlight is turned off in the sleep state and turned on inthe wake state.
 5. The thermostat of claim 1, wherein the actionperformed by the controller in response to identifying the triggerphrase includes initiating a voice control mode.
 6. The thermostat ofclaim 1, wherein the action performed by the controller in response toidentifying the trigger phrase includes attempting to identify a voicecommand following the identified trigger phrase.
 7. The thermostat ofclaim 1, wherein the action performed by the controller in response toidentifying the trigger phrase includes displaying a home screen on adisplay of the thermostat.
 8. The thermostat of claim 1, furthercomprising a speaker, wherein the speaker emits an audible message inresponse to the controller identifying the trigger phrase.
 9. Thethermostat of claim 1, further comprising a communications portoperatively coupled to a web service through the Internet.
 10. Thethermostat of claim 1, wherein the action performed by the controller inresponse to identifying the trigger phrase comprises checking for aconnection to the Internet.
 11. The thermostat of claim 1, wherein thethermostat has a lower power state and a higher power state, wherein thecontroller is configured to listen for the trigger phrase in both thelower power state and the higher power state.
 12. A method ofcontrolling a thermostat, the method comprising: receiving a voicestream at a thermostat; identifying a trigger phrase included in thevoice stream; initiating a voice control mode in response to identifyingthe trigger phrase; and providing an indication to a user that the voicecontrol mode has been initiated.
 13. The method of claim 12, wherein theindication that the voice control mode has been initiated comprises anaudible indication.
 14. The method of claim 12, further comprisingilluminating a display of the thermostat in response to identifying thetrigger phrase in the voice stream.
 15. The method of claim 14, whereinthe illumination of the display is the indicating that the voice controlmode has been initiated.
 16. The method of claim 12, further comprising:identifying a voice command following the trigger phrase in the voicestream; and translating the identified voice command into a commandunderstandable by a controller of the thermostat.
 17. A method ofcontrolling a thermostat, the method comprising: receiving a voicestream at the thermostat; identifying a voice command in the voicestream, wherein the voice command specifies a parameter value withoutunits; translating the identified voice command into a thermostatcommand that includes the parameter value and units that isunderstandable by the thermostat; and executing the thermostat commandby the thermostat.
 18. The method of claim 17, wherein the translatingstep is performed by thermostat.
 19. The method of claim 17, wherein thetranslating step is performed by a remote web service, and thethermostat command is returned to the thermostat for execution.
 20. Themethod of claim 17, wherein the units are preprogrammed, and thepreprogrammed units are applied to the parameter value specified in thevoice command.
 21. The method of claim 20, wherein differentpreprogrammed units are applied to the parameter values of differentvoice commands.